Seasonal and geographical variation in heat tolerance and evaporative cooling capacity in a passerine bird

The Journal of Experimental Biology
Matthew J NoakesAndrew E McKechnie

Abstract

Intraspecific variation in avian thermoregulatory responses to heat stress has received little attention, despite increasing evidence that endothermic animals show considerable physiological variation among populations. We investigated seasonal (summer versus winter) variation in heat tolerance and evaporative cooling in an Afrotropical ploceid passerine, the white-browed sparrow-weaver (Plocepasser mahali; ∼ 47 g) at three sites along a climatic gradient with more than 10 °C variation in mid-summer maximum air temperature (Ta). We measured resting metabolic rate (RMR) and total evaporative water loss (TEWL) using open flow-through respirometry, and core body temperature (Tb) using passive integrated transponder tags. Sparrow-weavers were exposed to a ramped profile of progressively higher Ta between 30 and 52 °C to elicit maximum evaporative cooling capacity (N=10 per site per season); the maximum Ta birds tolerated before the onset of severe hyperthermia (Tb ≈ 44 °C) was considered to be their hyperthermia threshold Ta (Ta,HT). Our data reveal significant seasonal acclimatisation of heat tolerance, with a desert population of sparrow-weavers reaching significantly higher Ta in summer (49.5 ± 1.4 °C, i.e. higher Ta,HT) than in...Continue Reading

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Citations

Nov 5, 2016·Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology·Ryan S O'ConnorAndrew E McKechnie
Jun 29, 2018·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Ryan S O'ConnorAndrew E McKechnie
Aug 8, 2019·Physiology·Andrew E McKechnie, Blair O Wolf
May 8, 2020·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Christine Elizabeth CooperSimon Charles Griffith
Jun 8, 2018·Ecology and Evolution·Colleen R MillerBenjamin Zuckerberg
Jun 27, 2019·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Shannon R ConradieAndrew E McKechnie
Jun 12, 2020·Conservation Physiology·Shannon R ConradieAndrew E McKechnie
Feb 26, 2019·Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology·Monique van DykAndrew E McKechnie
Oct 19, 2020·Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology·Michał S WojciechowskiMałgorzata Jefimow
Jan 29, 2021·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Barry van JaarsveldAndrew E McKechnie
Feb 28, 2021·Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology·Barry van JaarsveldAndrew E McKechnie
Dec 25, 2021·Oecologia·Stephanie ReherKathrin H Dausmann

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